Sure, the ROKR E1 musicphone never quite lived up to the hype. Not by a long shot. Still, don't count Moto out of the musicphone game just yet. Mobile Burn got their hands on the followup ROKR E2 and come away "really happy" from the review. For starters, this "solidly built" tri-band GSM / EDGE candybar features Motorola's new JUIX (a Java / Linux mashup) user interface which Mobile Burn swoons over due its new tabbed menus and overall speed. In particular, the address book has been improved "by leaps and bounds" over other Motorola phones. Even better, the much maligned 100-song cap in iTunes is gone, as is the iTunes software. Instead, a new "integrated player" (hint: it supports RealAudio) is used to playback music loaded onto your favorite SD card -- up to 2GBs now supported. Music sounded "excellent" with adequate bass and the dedicated music controls along the side of the phone worked well. And like all good musicphones, it features a standard 3.5-mm headphone jack for use with any off-the-shelf cans, an off-line mode for listening to music on an airplane, and the ability to play music in the background while using other phone functions. The keys were a "joy to use" with good tactile feedback and the 2-inch TFT screen was found to be "really sharp and bright." With such a positive review, all we can say is this: welcome back to the game Moto.

The ROKR E2, which has been fermenting in Motorola's labs for a good six months is finally ready for public consumption, it seems, and China is the lucky first country to be blessed / cursed with its presence. On sale now at GOME outlets across the country, the E2's specs (QVGA, USB 2.0, 3.5mm jack) soundly put the E1's to shame, but with the E3 already in the pipeline -- not to mention the countless music phones available now from other manufacturers -- it's anybody's guess whether savvy Chinese buyers will give a hoot.

[Thanks, CoreyTheGent]

We'll sheepishly admit to being among the reported 20 percent of cellphone users whose phones conk out at least once a week (in fact, it just happened today), so you can bet we'll be first in line to pick up one of Energizer's new AA-based cellphone chargers when they hit stores on September 1st. Eschewing proper spelling for catchy branding, the Energi To Go line will come in numerous configurations to support a claimed 100 handsets covering most major manufacturers, with each package containing a special tip for individual models. Energizer promises that its e2 batteries will enable most dead phones to make a call in just 30 seconds (you can use regular alkalines, but of course Energizer recommends its own pricey products), with smartphones requiring several minutes to suck up enough juice for calling. Along with the $20 cellphone version, Energizer will also be releasing a $30, four-battery model to charge DAPs and portable gaming devices, with iGo-developed tips available for iPods, PSPs, Nintendo DSes, and other small gadgets you see mentioned with regularity on these pages.

[Via Mobiledia, thanks Ryan]